One of the major difficulties facing mankind is the water supply sewage treatment problem. As the population of the earth increases, the amount of potable water necessary to keep humanity alive also increases as does the amount of water pollution generated by humanity. Extrapolation of present trends portends disaster. On the local and more immediate level, United States cities and towns find themselves caught in a vicious circle in which outrageously expensive water supplies and sewage treatment facilities are obsolete and inadequate even before they are built and long before they are paid for. The answer to these problems is that man must reduce the amount of water he transforms to sewage.
A major contributor to this water supply-sewage treatment problem is the 12,000 gallons per year that each person in the United States flushes down the toilet. This huge water use provides a potentially fruitful area for financial and ecological economies because of two factors. First, of course, is the obvious wastefulness of using the standard 5 to 7 gallons of flush water (which is necessary to exhaust solid matter) to exhaust a few fluid ounces of urine. The use of this massive amount of flush water results in an extremely dilute, but, nevertheless, absolutely polluted effluent. The magnitude of the waste in this urine flush can only be appreciated if one considers the life sustaining value of 7 gallons of water. Second, the capacity (and thus cost) of sewage treatment plants is generally dependent on the volume of input liquid irrespective of concentration. Thus, the cost of treating the sewage is magnified many times by the seemingly useless added water present in many sewage systems, particularly due to the urine flush in the normal toilet. Although the facts of a modern world continuously increase the recent public interest in water conservation, inventors have long recognized the inefficiency of the standard toilet and have expended considerable effort to find solutions. One approach has involved recognition that the flushing of solid and of liquid wastes have considerably different water requirements. In accordance with this approach, a separate urine flushing system is provided along with the standard system. The two systems are duplicates except for the amount of water used. The added complexity of these systems, however, can predictably add to the difficulties in cost of production and in maintenance. In addition, for each model of toilet, it has been found that there is an optimum amount of water necessary to achieve proper "flushing action" and serious deviation (as in the case of two flush volumes) can result in unsanitary and dangerous conditions. "Flushing action" means the phenomenon which is the basis of toilet operation, in which the flooding of the toilet bowl with flush water causes a flooding of the down stream leg of an inverted U-shaped trap. This flooding of the down stream leg initiates syphoning action which evacuates any liquid or suspended matter in the bowl. Particularly critical is the height of the weir (or bight) of the inverted U-shaped trap. Attempts at designing a weir of variable height have resulted in complicated mechanical structures which do not conform with national or local sanitary codes.
Another approach has been to retain the single flush concept but to improve the efficiency of the "flush action" so that less water is needed to accomplish a sanitary and effective flush. At the present time, toilets are commercially available which operate on 31/2 gallons of water per flush, as opposed to the standard 5 to 7 gallons per flush. Nethertheless, while 31/2 gallons of water is found to be the minimum necessary to achieve the flushing action, this amount is still an extravagant waste of water to flush urine.
A third and more general approach involves a complete re-examination of flushing equipment. This approach is exemplified by U.S. Pat No. 3,843,978 to Ragot. In the Ragot patent all of the tanks, floats and mechanical paraphernalia are dispensed with. In their place electrically operated switches operate a high-pressure water jet in the trap to initiate the flushing action and a high-pressure water jet in the bowl to generate swirling, scouring effect. Electrical sensors regulate and control the jets and refill.
Each of the designs incorporating various radical departures from conventional design have serious drawbacks, however. For example, whenever electrical controls are integrated with plumbing fixtures, there results not only the well-known dangers of electrical shock, but also the practical difficulties of installation and maintenance in view of the distinction between the various skilled trades. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a toilet which utilizes the minimum amount of flush water to achieve a sanitary and effective flush.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a toilet which provides separate flush cycles for liquid and solid waste.
A further object of the instant invention is the provision of a toilet which minimizes the deviation from standard designs in order to facilitate acceptance by the plumbing industry and the public and thereby most rapidly eliminate flush water waste.
It is another object of the invention to provide a toilet having a separate urine flush cycle which effectively flushes the bowl and refills it with approximately one gallon of water, several times less than the minimum amount now used.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a toilet having a separate urine flush cycle having all-mechanical controls which are simple, reliable and capable of a long and useful life with minimum maintenance.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a toilet having a novel flush control valve which mimimizes waste of water in the flush cycle.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a toilet which utilizes a high pressure water stream in the bowl to evacuate thee water in the bowl.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.